Big Time Jaded
by DarkHeart89
Summary: "Pretty Boy?" Carlos repeated in a slightly jealous tone, shooting daggers at James. James' gaze hardened and he mentally groaned, he knew very well what was going to come from this: A lot of rivalry. All he knew was that she would be his. / AU Based roughly on the episode 'Big Time Secret' with the addition of Jade West instead of Heather. Typically Jades [Jade x James].
1. Old Crushes New Problems

Big Time Jaded

Summary: "Pretty Boy?" Carlos repeated in a slightly jealous tone, shooting daggers at James.

James' gaze hardened and he mentally groaned, he knew very well what was going to come from this: A lot of rivalry.

All he knew was that she would be his.

Rating: T

Pairing: Jades [Jade and James]

AN: It's only taken me a million years to conjure up something post-worthy. I haven't done Jade and James based on many things I won't go into detail about, but the most important part is that I have my Jade and James back in RP; which is amazing. I've missed it and that's given me the inspiration to write this.

I'm not overly fond of the ending, but it'll suffice well enough.

It's based on the episode 'Big Time Secret', but instead with Heather Fox, it's Jade West and the competition is more fierce. Who wants morals in a story?

[OoOoOoO]

"Hey! That's where my laptop went!" James called, running across the poolside to regain it from Carlos. It had gone missing from their shared room and he'd already interrogated Kendall and Logan when it came to discovering the culprit, only to be left empty handed both times. Their evident lack of physical evidence then led him to Carlos.

Approaching, it would seem Carlos was off in dreamland, staring at the screen with a wistful expression, his head in his hand, then following up with a deep sigh of contentment. James was definitely curious as to what he was doing, it wasn't often he found the hyperactive Carlos to be so mellow and inactive personally, but that's because they were such good buddies and they always had fun together.

"And /what/ are you doing with /my/ laptop?" James immediately quizzed, snatching it straight out of his lap and causing the Latino to protest and get defensive very quickly.

"James! Give it back!" He whined with wide pleading eyes, flailing his arms and pushing against him to attain it once more. It wasn't necessarily that he just needed it, it was just like he was trying to be secretive with what he was looking at.

James squinted at the screen's content, turning his back to Carlos to get a better look. On the screen, was an internet file brought up with a website titled " ", seemingly for kids that went to a school called "Hollywood Arts", a performing arts school for other teenagers that wanted to pursue music, acting, directing, anything in relation to that. But particularly was the girl on the screen: Jade West was her name. She has dark black hair, highlighted with vibrant extensions of various colors, seeing the gallery that was present. Her eyes were remarkably passionate, along with her tough appearance that made James really confused with why he was looking at this girl. Sure, she was GORGEOUS, but seemingly not the type of girl Carlos would be interested in. She looked more like a girl that Carlos would have had a bad run in with at some point and peed his pants or something.

James suddenly turned, holding the laptop high above his head so his friend could not get it, glancing down at him. "Why are you looking at this girl? She looks frightening." Especially the piercing on her eyebrow and the other various photos of her with a scissor coated locker, eyebrows cleanly shaven off her, in a younger form with a Ping pong uniform, and even one with some fluffy haired guy that really wasn't that attractive in James' opinion.

Carlos immediately tried to play innocent, cracking a casual smile. "What girl? Who? That? She just...popped right up," He blatantly lied, not even fooling James who was usually quite dim and didn't take hints very well.

He raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical. "Oh really?" He took another look at the screen, before his gaze reverted back to Carlos. "Funny how you just magically landed on this social media website, clicking on this random girls album of photos, who is totally hot by the way, and started scrolling through them out of no where?" He watched Carlos' eye twitch slightly when he mentioned her being hot and knew immediately that his façade was by no means real.

"Yeah, well, it was luck." Carlos murmured, rubbing at his arm and staring down at his feet.

James set the laptop aside and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Dude, you can tell me if you're crushing on her, I'm your best friend! I'll even be your wing man if you need me to be," He winked, cracking a grin. "So spill, I want to know who mystery bad girl is."

Carlos sighed, knowing he was caught. He sat down on the chair, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands in front of him. James sat across from him, looking eager and intently watching for his next move and his next words. "Remember that one time freshmen year back in Minnesota when I went to L.A for a week to see my cousin, Manny?" James nodded. "Yeah, he went to this performing arts school and he brought me there in the morning to introduce me to some of his friends, even if I was his lame freshmen cousin and he was the cool senior!" He waved his hands on emphasis, suddenly getting solemn.

"He pointed out this one girl, the girl you saw on the laptop. Her name's Jade and she's like really tough. I thought she was pretty and I asked him about her. He liked her too, turns out a lot of the guys did, but she had this boyfriend, Beck and she didn't give any of the other guys the time of day. But I ran into her later that day and it was like love at first sight," Carlos sighed, drifting into his own dream world all over again. "She had brown hair then, with blue highlights and I remember her saying, "Watch out." And I started apologizing quickly and then she kind of stopped and we started talking. I felt really special, you know? Manny said she never gave any guys other than her boyfriend and her two other guys friends the time of day and there she was, standing there and talking to me! I remember her calling me cute too," he said in a fawning way, grinning like a fool by this point. "I've been hopelessly in love with her ever since and now that Manny knows we're here, he told me the other day about how she's single and I am so determined to win her heart!" He finished in a neat heroic tone, looking more hopeful now.

James eyed him carefully, not doubting his story for a second. "So you want to try and win the girl over, right?" He asked merely to clarify.

Carlos nodded his head vigorously. "More than anything! There's no other girl I want but her!" He insisted in a love struck tone, eyes sliding back over to James' open laptop and her picture still present.

"And you're sure she still goes to this school?" He asked, pointing at the screen and the information that said she goes to Hollywood Arts.

"That's what Manny said," he replied firmly. "Manny wouldn't lie to me. He knows I'm in love with her!" Carlos sighed, slumping his shoulders. "But she'd never pay attention to me now."

James frowned. "Why not? Carlos, you're in a band. You work for Gustavo Rocque, of course she's going to take notice of that. Especially since she's in a performing arts school FOR our thing!" He nudged him with an elbow, smiling. "Now she has all the more reason to take a second glance your way!"

Carlos looked up hopefully. "You think so?"

"I know so! And I know, because I'm totally going to be your wing man. We're going to go to this school and we're going to track this girl down and show her how amazing of a guy you are, and we're going to put that Beck guy to shame!" James got up, putting his hands on his hips with an encouraging look on his face.

Carlos stood up right with him, mimicking his stature. "Okay!" But then he frowned. "But we don't know where she lives!" He stated dumbly.

James sighed and held the laptop in front of him, pointing to the link of the school she goes to, smirking ear to ear. "But we know her school."

[OoOoOoO]

So after spending a great deal of time looking for the school, based on a GPS that couldn't lead them even to the nearest McDonalds, Carlos and James both came to the designated school of Hollywood Arts. It was large and modern, and Carlos was already having regrets. "James, I don't know about this. What if she's gone? What if she has that fluffy haired boyfriend back? She won't want me, she probably doesn't even remember my name! I-" James cut Carlos off by grasping him firmly by the shoulders and shaking him insistently.

"You are Carlos Garcia, member of Big Time Rush and best friends of one of the hottest guys on the planet, you can do this." He prepped him, despite the ego boost for himself. There was never a non-ego-driven moment with James Diamond. "Now come on, I'll come with you and you'll be fine, I promise." He then proceeded to lead him along, practically having to drag him towards the entrance of the school and push him through the doors.

Once the doors were open, it revealed a very colorfully displayed level and a wide variety of people. The lockers were all uniquely decorated, none of them the same as the other and it also revealed massive cliques of people gathered around. James had to stop both him and Carlos from continuing to walk. "Dude, so you see her anywhere? This school looks HUGE! How are we ever going to be able to find her?"

Carlos looked crestfallen and he turned to James. "What about if we split up? We'd have better odds of finding her, right?" He asked hopefully and even though James didn't want to go lurking around the school when he didn't know who was around and what kind of crazy personalities that were lingering, he nonetheless gave in with a sigh.

"Okay, sure, we'll split up. You take the second floor; I have this general area. Text me if you find her and I'll text you if I do." James nodded, watching Carlos' eyes light up with excitement.

Without even the utterance of a good bye, Carlos took off bounding up the steps and startling many people going up and going down, looking at him oddly before continuing with their activities.

James rolled his eyes, before turning and surveying the couple different routes he could take in hall choices. He wasn't sure, so he just swerved right and continued to walk passing a Latina girl and an Africa guy, turning the corner sharply and near colliding with someone, his hands shooting out to grab the person for balance.

He immediately looked up with a sheepish smile, blurting out a quick apology. "Oh, sorry..." His eyed widened as he came face to face with Jade West.

First, it took her a moment to realize things, before fixating a harsh glare on him. "I'd suggest watching where you're going, Pretty Boy." She crossed her arms, raising a pierced eyebrow at him.

James had to admit, she looked even hotter in person. The whole bad girl thing was a total turn on and the leather jacket she was wearing certainly didn't subtract from the immediate attraction he felt towards her. His brow furrowed in response. "You were turning the corner just are carelessly as I was!" He exclaimed.

She narrowed her eyes in return; seemingly surprised that he would talk to her like that. She did have a sort of standoffish complex; it wouldn't be the most outlawed inference in the world. "You're new, I'm pretty sure I would have seen your face before."

He was caught off guard, insure of what to say. "Uh..."

"So now you can't talk? Funny, you had a mouth on you a couple minutes ago." And just like that she bristled all over again. It seemed she was one of those defensive listeners he'd heard about before.

"Hey! I can talk just fine, thanks for your concern!" Now what did Carlos see in this girl exactly? She seemed like a piece of a work, a shapely piece of work though. Her busty top was very distracting and he forced his eyes not to stray.

He felt her analyze him carefully, her eyes scanning his face and then his...body? She was totally checking him out, mental points! Wait, James, Carlos has dibs. He couldn't...could he?

Jade waved a dismissive hand, "Whatever, I have to get to lunch." Apparently, Carlos and him had arrived in the middle of transition. She turned on her heels and began to stride away haughtily, but James reached out and caught her wrist.

"Wait!" He insisted made a little too desperately, causing her to turn and stare at him strangely. "I...uh...don't know where the lunch area is." He fibbed quickly with a charming smile, watching her eye him carefully. He felt like she was developing some kind of long term strategy.

"And I should show you why?" She quipped, seeing as the halls filed out and soon there were very minimal people passing them.

James exhaled carefully; this girl was a lot of work. "Please?"

"Whatever." Now the tables were turned and she grasped his wrist leading him off quite forcefully. She was a fast walker, he struggled to keep up without stumbling.

"Mind slowing down?" James interjected, trying to pull his wrist back, but it seemed she had a total iron grip. Everything about her was incredibly abrasive!

"No." She answered immediately, leading him out to some doors and bringing him to a line, releasing him to cross her arms in a trademark fashion. No words were spoken oddly enough, considering she had been so verbally expressive just a few minutes ago.

James wasn't used to girls NOT fawning after his good looks other than the Jennifer's; so this little void of attention was growing slightly frustrating. "So, can I know my tour guide's name?" He asked coyly; stepping in front of her, leaning down slightly. He did already know her name, it he was smart enough to know that if he referred to her as that immediately, she would latch on suspiciously. He felt like an awful friend right now, but she was too not to pass up the opportunity to see if she reciprocated the feelings.

Jade exhaled and looked at him. "Do you always ask dumb questions, Pretty Boy?" He got a little bit of satisfaction out of that, she must have thought he was attractive in that case. He certainly found her attractive.

He made a sort of disgruntled noise. "Asking for your name isn't an absurd thing to ask; it's common courtesy." He informed knowingly, before softening and holding out his hand. "Mine's James Diamond."

She eyed the hand for a minute, then taking it and grasping in a strong hold, shaking only briefly. "Okay Pretty Boy, now that that's established, let me get my coffee." She just dismissed him like that, talking to a strange unknown race of a man, James staring at the both of them quizzically.

Only once she was done, she looked back at him. "What do you drink?"

"What?" He asked, kind of having zone out.

She rolled her eyes. "Beverage - yes - no - what?"

James nodded his head vigorously in understanding. "Oh! Smoothie, preferably pink." He added in cheekily, making her lip curl. Sighing, she turned back and filled in his request to the man, who then shouted to particularly no one in his small truck, disappearing from view.

He began pulling out his wallet, holding out a five, but she shoved it back into his hand. "A welcoming gift or whatever, Pretty Boy."

Immediately, his usual cockiness began to seep in. "I've noticed you keep calling me that, does that mean you find me attractive?" Based on the way she stiffened, he realized he'd caught her. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Do you want pink smoothie in that hair of yours?"

James gasped and went to cover his hair glaring daggers. "Not the hair!" He whined, cowering back. This girl was violent, and definitely very lethal when it came to the state of his hair.

Considering that got him to shut up for the meantime, she turned away and retrieved the beverages, practically shoving it into his hands and immediately stalking off towards a table. He gathered himself up and rushed after her, weaving through people she just pushed and shoved past. Apparently, their opinion of her rudeness mattered very little. Then again, she didn't really have a caring bone in her body; it was kind of hot.

"Wait!" He shouted for a second time in the past ten minutes, jogging to catch up with her. She plopped down in a seat, setting her coffee down. Sitting at the table, was the Latino girl and African boy from earlier, a redhead, a curly haired guy with a puppet, and the same fluffy haired guy he'd seen in the photos. His head snapped back to the fluffy haired guy before back to her, watching their lack of exchange and exhaling in relief. They clearly weren't dating anymore, good news for him.

Ugh, once again - BAD FRIEND!

"So, Jade, who's your friend?" James jerked to see the Latina looking at him with flirtatious glint that he was totally not interested in. He much preferred the girl who he was currently trying to get answers out of.

Now James had an excuse to use her name. "We kind of ran into each other in the hall," he explained, sitting next to her. "She led me here,"

The Latina looked confused. "She did? That seems a little nice. When I was new, she dumped coffee on my head." She added with a specific tone and an unappreciative look in her direction.

James sent Jade a bewildered look. Coffee on her head? Is that why she'd threatened to pour smoothie on his? His hands flew to his hair defensively, watching her immediately scoff.

"What? She was rubbing on my boyfriend." Jade groaned, seeing their was still partial judgment in his eyes. "And another has fallen into the talons of Vega; good job." She sipped at her coffee ruefully, watching as the others exchanged looks carefully. Jade was obviously in a very bad mood today, based on her reaction to things. "Whatever, I'm getting a burrito." She stood and stalked off in an aloof way, causing James to once again have to get up and go and retrieve her.

She was so flighty and unpredictable; it was like she was a walking, talking mood swing! Why did he like her more for it? Shaking his head, he jogged after her yet again, shuffling in to her side.

"What's the rush?" He insisted, waking next to her as she once again got in line, looking a bit more peeved than she had been prior. "Did that girl piss you off? Because I don't honestly believe you-"

"I did. I did poor coffee on her head, because I wanted to. But I hate her and she hates me, that's how it works. Now why don't you go back over there and fall in love with her like every other male specimen in this school?" She rolled her eyes, turning. But he stood in front of her, towering slightly with his extra six inches in height.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "One - NO! And two - why would I be interested in her, when you're far more interesting and WAY better looking?" He watched the skepticism light up in her eyes and she opened her mouth to retort, before he heard the last thing he wanted to hear.

"JAMES!" And of course when he turned, he saw Carlos sprinting over, skidding to a stop next to them, grinning like a fool. But then his smile dropped and he looked at James. "Why didn't you tell me you found her? You were supposed to text!" He whispered in a not very quiet manner.

Jade watched the whole exchange in confusion. James glanced towards her and sighed. "Uh...this is my friend-"

"Carlos." She finished for him, causing both Carlos' and James' heads to turn in shock.

Carlos looked like he'd won the lottery, while James was left in distraught. "You know him?"

"You know me?" Carlos gaped.

Jade nodded, raising an eyebrow. "I met you freshmen year, Manny introduced us." James couldn't believe she remembered; THAT WAS FOUR YEARS AGO! "You were irritatingly eager, you were hard to forget. But a cute chunk of boy nonetheless." Jade shrugged, gesturing towards James. "I was just getting to know Pretty Boy over here."

"Pretty Boy?" Carlos repeated in a slightly jealous tone, shooting daggers at James.

James' gaze hardened and he mentally groaned, he knew very well what was going to come from this: A lot of rivalry.

All he knew was that she would be his.

[OoOoOoO]

AN: Yet another AU of what I usually write, but this one is going to be more updated based on not only the idea, but that the words come easier because I have a basis to work with.

Reviews are my life; don't kill me.

~Nat


	2. And The Race Begins

Big Time Jaded

Summary: "Pretty Boy?" Carlos repeated in a slightly jealous tone, shooting daggers at James.

James' gaze hardened and he mentally groaned, he knew very well what was going to come from this: A lot of rivalry.

All he knew was that she would be his.

Rating: T

Pairing: Jades [Jade and James]

AN: So FINALLY an update, huh? xD I've neglected this story along with a whole bunch of mine that I will probably never finish because I'm lazy and full of too many ideas that I execute at the same time.

AllOfMeHatesYou [no surprise there] requested I update this one, so I did. He also expected me to get the update done in one day, which wasn't cool - and didn't happen AT ALL, but I tried. xD

CHECK OUT HIS STORY: "Jade's Big Time Revenge" Because it is undoubtedly the best thing I've ever read. Why wouldn't it be? He wrote it. I adore his stories.

READ IT; REVIEW IT; IT IS AMAZING. Especially if you're a Jades fan like him and I are!

And don't forget to review this one!

\- Nat

[OoOoOoO]

So once they got down to talking, Carlos and Jade seemed to be able to hold a conversation really well and James had to practically sit there and watch them interact, like a third wheel. HE had found Jade first therefore HE should have dibs on speaking to her. But no instead he just stayed stationary, watching them.

Tori had attempted to strike up conversation with him, but he was only halfway interested. But he did spend a little time glaring at the fluffy-haired guy, her ex-boyfriend or whatever. He looked a bit frazzled to see Jade so involved in a conversation with an attractive male.

James was more so bothered by the love struck look in both Beck and Carlos' eyes. He'd just met the girl, and he already liked her A LOT, but that didn't mean he felt any less protective. As far as he was concerned, he had dibs. Beck had his chance and Carlos wasn't her type. She was taller than him! And they just wouldn't look good together.

He was pretty, tall, muscular, AND sensitive! He was the complete package. But was she paying any attention to him? NO!

"So you two are in a band or something?" Finally, Jade was pointing some attention towards him! He wasn't going to miss his chance! He leapt out of his seat and squished in between Carlos and Jade, leaning an arm on the table to block out Carlos, who looked agitated.

"Yes, we are. Big Time Rush. I'm BASICALLY the leader, because I have the most unique voice and I was the reason the band started in the first place." He stated matter-of-factly, rubbing his knuckles on his shirt, feeling rather impressed with himself. She was a performer; therefore she could appreciate a good origin story! Or so he hoped.

Jade raised her eyebrows rather disbelievingly. "The leader?" She severely doubted that, but she crossed her arms and allowed him to continue. She was a bit fonder of watching him speak. He had a /very/ good looking face; it was a little mesmerizing, especially the hazel eyes. "Well, how'd you start it?" She asked irritably when he stopped talking for a minute.

James may have been caught staring at her too. She WAS a gorgeous girl, in all honesty. Dark, pristinely curled locks with purple colored streaks running through them. Her eyes were hypnotic, large and lined with eyeliner to give them a little chutzpah to stand out even more and she had a rocking body; once again - quite the bust. Where had this girl been all his life? Her personality could use some tweaking in the eyes of others, but he liked it, actually. She was - different, but in a really good way.

"Oh, yeah! Well, it was always /my/ dream to become famous, so there were auditions in town and I convinced all of the guys to go with me! They didn't even really want to, but I'm the leader, so they all listened to me and -."

"I thought Kendall's the leader." Carlos added in just to knock down James a little. He was now feeling what James was feeling - very unpaid attention to. He didn't like that! Jade and him had been talking for so long until she had to ask James a question!

James turned his head sharply to glare at the Latino. "Yeah, well, I led that day!" He turned back to look at Jade. "And so I went up and auditioned and they LOVED me,"

Carlos once again broke in with, "Gustavo thought you were the worst!"

About this time, James had had enough with Carlos interrupting him and making him intentionally look bad in front of Jade. "At least I didn't fart into the mic!"

The Latino flashed a quick smile to Jade who looked disgusted. "It was a joke! I was joking around!"

"Uh-huh, at least I could take it seriously!" He stared daggers at Carlos, who in turn did the same, holding the steel-like gaze very angrily.

Jade exhaled, having enough of their little match. "Pretty Boy, Carlos." Once again, James took A LOT of pride in the fact she was still addressing him as Pretty Boy rather than James. That still meant she found him better looking than Carlos, which he was! "So, who's Gustavo?" And the conversation carried on.

Eventually, Carlos had to get up because he'd gotten a HUGE soda drink and he really had to pee. He'd lasted as long as he could to not leave James alone with Jade, but he REALLY had to go so he raced off. He wasn't going to let him get the upper hand; at least for too long.

James took this opportunity to flirt Jade up a bit, especially since lunch was now ending and he could walk with her individually, without the prying eyes of everyone else at her table. Alone time with her was GOLDEN and definitely a virtue he was going to hold onto.

"Hey hey hey!" He called, weaving through to her again amongst the crowd. It was like going on a hundred meter dash with her! Man, she walked fast. "Jade!" He swore he stopped to think for a sing second and she'd suddenly disappeared!

Jade turned towards him abruptly, making him jerk to a stop quickly. "What?" She was relatively annoyed for having to listen to twenty minutes of him and Carlos exchange put down's and then respectively switching back and forth to try and impress her. It was so much more fun when SHE delivered the put down's.

"You free tomorrow night? Because I am." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, trying to enforce some of the James Diamond charm. But she sadly, didn't look like she was buying into it. She rolled her eyes and stalked back inside and towards her locker, leaving him to catch up. But he was relentless, so she once again faced him.

Jade pinched the bridge of her nose, frustrated to her max. "Look, James." But James DID NOT do rejection, so he cut her off quite quickly.

"It's just - friendly! We can hang out, get to know each other and what happens happens! I know you just got out of a relationship." He added to try to appear sensitive, but then he mentally face palmed when he realized she'd NEVER spoken about that douche and her, so he'd basically came across as a major stalker.

She opened her mouth to question him, when once again he just blowing over her completely. James had stolen a glance over his shoulder to see Carlos walking down the stairs, so he had to make this quick! He stole her notebook out of her hand [she'd been preparing to go to class and he'd been bombarding her] and quickly uncapped a pen with his teeth, quickly scrawling out his name and number.

He shut it and practically tossed it to her, backing up when Carlos stopped at the stairs, glaring at him. "Just give it the night to sink in and text me your thoughts, okay?" He flashed a brilliant smile, his eyes widening when Carlos began running at him.

Usually what happened when he led Jade AWAY from anywhere Carlos would go! James could be clever too.

"SEE YA, JADE!" He hastily winked in her directions and enveloped the frantic Latino in his arms, dragging him out the doors to avoid freaking her out even more. He NEEDED to score points with Jade and Carlos just wasn't helping his odds.

He tossed Carlos back and stared at him. "Dude, why're you tackling me? I was just talking to Jade." He said rather smugly, folding his arms.

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHY I'M TACKLING YOU!" Carlos shouted in a rage, throwing his arms up. He was so upset! Finally, he has a shot at a girl and charming James Diamond had to come in and swoop her up! His face fell and he threw his arms down, sinking against the wall. "You told me you were going to help me, not try and steal her!"

James looked at him like he was crazy. "A hot girl like that? Carlos, you can't expect me not to throw a little flirt at her! Have you seen her? You can't hog a girl like that all to yourself!"

"You were doing a pretty good job at that before I came out of the bathroom!" He accused unhappily, jabbing a finger in his direction. "Besides, I already have dibs on her! Old crush!"

His jaw dropped and he shook his head rapidly. "No - way! Rule of dibs doesn't apply! That's not fair!"

"It's totally fair!" The Latino leapt forward and got in his face. "She's MY girl and you can't steal her away from me! You're supposed to still like Lucy!" He pointed out. "Let me have this one!"

James scoffed. "Lucy's on tour! You guys were the ones who told me to move on from her and I did! I - want - Jade, and you can't stop me from winning her!" If this was going to be a competition, then so be it! It wouldn't be the first time him and Carlos dueled over a girl!

"Yeah, well, I'm going to get her first!" Carlos vowed, narrowing his eyes at his supposed best friend! What kind of best friend tried to steal your girl? A bad one!

He stared at his friend cautiously. "Well, if we're going to compete for her, I think we should have some rules!" There was no way Carlos was going to pull anything sneaky to try and wrap Jade around his finger, even if he doubted Jade would fall for anything stupid; she seemed like a well-rounded girl and definitely intelligent. When he'd been speaking to her, she'd left him perplexed with some of the words she'd used.

"Like what?" Carlos demanded, pulling the tough façade as well. They were both trying to be tough guys, unaffected by the situation.

He searched his head for the answer he was looking for and fell upon one. "Like whoever gets a kiss from her without a slap or any other violent gesture gets her!" From what he'd picked up, if she reacted positively to either of them, it'd be a miracle.

The contemplative expression bloomed on the Latino's face, before his face burst into determination. "Yeah! That! And no asking her out on dates! That's unfair alone time and totally doesn't count when we're competing for her!"

James' face filled with confliction and his lips upturned sheepishly. "That rule can start **now**." He technically hadn't broken it earlier; the rules hadn't even been in mind at that point! Besides, it was platonic - kind of. Jade was aware his intentions were anything more than friendly.

Carlos gasped. "YOU ALREADY ASKED HER OUT?!" He couldn't believe James! He'd been gone for five minutes tops to use the bathroom and that'd been just enough time for him to work her up!

He waved his hands sporadically to try and calm his friend. "Not yet! I kind of - did, sort of, but it wasn't really a date! I told her it could be friendly and we could just hang out! She hasn't even said yes!" James wasn't one to waste time; Carlos should really know him better than that.

The Latino sputtered. "How are you going to know if she says yes? You're not in contact with her!" He was just being clueless now - as if James WOULDN'T give her his number. Carlos stupidly had missed out on his opportunity and James would by no means correct him!

James may have lacked common sense in a lot of other places, but in the matters of the heart, he was an expert! And he WOULD win Jade! SHE WOULD BE HIS!

He wasn't going to tell him everything either. "Uh.. I'll find a way!" He insisted, tilting his chin up haughtily. "Well I have a date to plan!" He proclaimed and he turned on his heels and stalked back to the car.

"Me too!" Carlos said, even though he technically didn't have **anything** really arranged with Jade and also stalked to the car.

They met on opposite sides and glared at each other.

"What're you doing here?" Carlos asked bitterly.

"We took the same car here, Carlos!" James informed him with a discreet roll of his eyes. "We're going to have to drive back!"

He made a disgruntled face. "Fine!" Getting in on the other side and buckling angrily, crossing his arms and specifically turning away from James. James did the same. He didn't even hesitate to snap at Carlos when he wanted to fiddle with the radio station. That was off limits from now on!

[OoOoOoO]

"Hey Jade!" Cat greeted her once the whole ordeal of Carlos and James was over with. Her friends hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise when it came to the two boys fiercely battling speech with the Goth. But something about the redhead's tone was a little wistful and Jade caught on.

She was still contemplating the date, but turned her attention to her friend. "Cat." Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she took note of her slumped posture and sort of - sad voice? Why would she be sad? "Cat, did Robbie do anything to you?" She asked. "Because if he did, I'll twist him into a pretzel and shuck him off the -"

Jade stopped talking when Cat rapidly shook her head side-to-side, her inference about the ventriloquist for once, being wrong. "Well, what's wrong? Not that I care, but you seem down for some reason." She stuffed a multitude of different textbooks into her locker, exchanging them for the class she had to next go to.

"Who were those guys?" The poor redhead hadn't caught on to what was going on. Everyone had been so transfixed and she'd just kind of sat there - infatuated with the short Latino.

She froze and stopped what she was doing, dropping her arm. "Well, one of them I met a few years ago. Remember Manny?"

Cat's face broke out into a smile. "Yeah! He always gave me candy when I was feeling down!"

"He's like cousins with him or something. He introduced us a few years ago and Carlos apparently hasn't forgotten about me." She shrugged, though feeling a bit satisfied that she'd been so memorable - even if she usually was because she wasn't a face you could easily forget; at least in her opinion.

She tilted her head. "What about the other one? The tall, pretty one?"

Jade sent her a look, but she didn't necessarily know why. She just did when Cat happened to call James pretty. "Well, Pretty Boy seems to be a friend of Carlos. They're in a band, Big Time Flush or whatever."

"BIG TIME RUSH!" Cat screeched all of a sudden, in not only correction but also excitement, drawing attention from other pedestrians, before clapping her hands over her mouth, realizing she'd spoken a little too loudly. Jade was looking at her in a very startled way and she felt a little embarrassed.

The little redhead slowly removed her hands from her lips, looking innocent. "I love them."

"Then why didn't you recognize them?" Jade quizzed, slamming her locker door shut and stuffing the remainder of her books into her bag.

Cat pursed her lips, looking up at the ceiling as if it would have an answer. "I thought he looked familiar.."

"Who looked familiar?" The brunette asked to the girl's open statement, rather whispered and probably rhetorical, but Jade wanted to know anyway. The redhead had been a bit mysterious ever since she'd approached Jade and that was a side that she wasn't used to seeing. Usually, her best friend was a lot easier to figure out.

"NO ONE!" She shot backwards and ran off in a heated frenzy, causing a scene per usual. It was no secret Cat Valentine had a few screws loose - otherwise, she was really **that** special.

Jade released a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding and turned to walk off to her next class, a silly technologies class she wasn't terribly fond of. A majority of the time, she just sat in the back and texted. What point was it? She'd taken the class last year and they'd suddenly made a rule that you needed two years of the class, when really, all the second year of the class was a review of the stuff you'd learned the prior year and Jade didn't have time for that. Her time was very precious.

But once she did arrive and took her usual seat - away from anyone else because she didn't have anyone worth her time in the class - she was suddenly overwhelmed with a very smug feeling. Two boys were fighting over her.

That had never happened before. Usually, she'd been the one fighting for someone else - like Beck, for instance. Ever since Tori had arrived to Hollywood Arts, she'd had to fight and kick for Beck's attention, but ever since they'd broken up a little over two and a half months ago she hadn't needed to do that.

She preferred avoiding Beck like he was the black plague. And if she did need to see him, she didn't waste her time serving him any pleasantries on a silver platter. He didn't deserve that from her anymore. She felt no obligation to Beck Oliver anymore.

She had two very applicable boys, both very attractive and very successful and VERY into her and not pretty princess Vega. For once, she was the top dog and she wasn't going to allow that to be stolen.

Not with his inference. She hadn't exactly been oblivious to the stares he'd been giving James and Carlos at the lunch table. She was an observant girl. And Jade also knew what he'd been thinking with the whole territorial glare.

'Back off.'

Well, she hated to break it to him [not actually, no], but the moment he left her behind Tori Vega's door, they were done for good. She was very ready to move on. And in fact, she was going to right now.

The brunette pulled out her Pearphone and dug through her bag for that particular notebook. She acquired it and flipped through the pages until she found the messy scrawl she'd been searching for.

"Perfect." Jade muttered to herself with a smirk and tapped the number into her contact list, sending a text their way.

[You know, my schedule actually opened up for tomorrow.] And it wasn't exactly a long waiting period before she received a response.

[Meet me at the Palmwoods hotel tomorrow! You won't regret it! xo]

Jade smirked. Maybe she would give James and Carlos a chance. It was about time.

[OoOoOoO]

AN: SO, now Carlos and James' rivalry REALLY begins because the rules have been enacted and they know their very few limitations. I plan on giving them both a chance with her, before she picks an evident favorite - though I know whom that favorite's going to be.

I also have a plan for the unlucky fella that Jade doesn't give a chance to and he'll be very happy with those results as well.

Apologies for the lack of updates! AllOfMeHatesYou is literally the only reason I update, so THANK HIM, or else I definitely wouldn't. I'm so so lazy. AllOfMeHatesYou Inspiration AND amazing writer! I cannot stress that enough. I LOVE YOU EVEN IF YOU'RE A PEST.

Reviews are my life; don't kill me.

\- Nat


	3. And The Plan Commences

Big Time Jaded

Summary: "Pretty Boy?" Carlos repeated in a slightly jealous tone, shooting daggers at James.

James' gaze hardened and he mentally groaned, he knew very well what was going to come from this: A lot of rivalry. All he knew was that she would be his.

Rated: T

Pairing: Jades [Jade West and James Diamond]

AN: SO finally an update. Then again, I gave AllOfMeHatesYou the choice of which story of mine I should update and he chose this one, so thank him for the update, ;) If anyone has any preference on which one I should update next, leave it in a review of PM me. Christmas Break's nearly concluding for me, so I won't even partially have the amount of time to update that I do now. Wish me luck in readjusting into hell, :I I guarantee you it won't end well.

Enjoy this new chapter!

And quick sidenote: checkout AllOfMeHatesYou's glorious 'Jade's Big Time Revenge' that he JUST updated with an AMAZING seventh chapter. I read it and it's absolutely marvelous, and NOT something you want to miss! Especially if you love Jades as much as I do. Don't make the mistake of NOT doing it. You'll regret it BIG TIME, ;) See what I did there? Laugh.

Just read.

[OoOoOoO]

Jade was naturally a rebellious girl, and of course she was a bit interested in what James could offer - so she was definitely skipping school the next day to spend some time with the tall pretty boy. Why not? It's not like she'd be missing anything important - she rarely did. She got good grades, undoubtedly [she was a star actress], so she'd be able to recover from anything she missed quite easily.

As she recalled from their conversation at her locker, it was a 'friendly' get-together, considering she'd been seconds from turning him down shrewdly like she did with every other guy who typically asked her out. She either turned them down immediately, or scared them enough to completely just get them to drop the question and run off. It was satisfying - even if she'd been feeling the slightest bit hesitant about turning James down.

In fact, she liked /both/ Carlos and James. It's not like she was envisioning a future with either of them at this particular moment, but she could see herself giving either of them a shot. They both had different high points and they were both attractive enough [her preference in that department was James; Carlos was a bit too short]. They were both unlike Beck, too, which is something she preferred. She could live without another Beck scenario, even if she was a bit skeptical.

Mentally, she made a reminder to ask James later today how exactly they found her. It was a bit boggling - the both of them coming out of no where to chase her; especially so early after her breakup with Beck. Sure, it'd been a few weeks and she wasn't extremely sore over it anymore. She was more bitter towards him than anything. The most pleasant she'd been was when she'd found him at the animal hospital with Tori - after being informed of their little 'opposite date', which she was sure [despite her understanding at the time] had meant more to the both of them than anything.

Regardless, she didn't care - and she meant that. Why should she? Her and Beck were OVER; there was no reason to brood and mourn over a relationship ending like that. Beck had made his choice and now she was making hers. If he got jealous, so what? It served him right for letting a catch like her go - she knew she was quite the girl to have and he should have known, too. He could have Vega for the rest of his life now. They could live happily ever after together and ride off into the sunset. She wasn't interested in what he planned on doing in the future.

She left her bed to evacuate to her closet to survey what she had to work with. She needed something hot, but not something that spelt 'easy' - because she didn't need that impression getting into their heads. Jade intended on riding this pretty hard for a while - why not? They were both very /evidently/ interested in her, she wouldn't have to pick one until it ultimately came down to it. She had time to experiment with the both of them and take them both out for a test ride. It'd be fun and a definite confidence-boost in the very least.

What if she didn't pick either of them? So what? It showed that she was still incredibly appealing and would give Beck the message: she was DONE with him. Now that she thought about it, taking some overly-friendly selfies with James to plaster all over her TheSlap profile wouldn't be such a bad idea - she was sure James wouldn't attest to the idea, he'd probably welcome it. Based on his face, he was plenty photogenic.

The brunette yanked a dark skirt from the hanger, fingering the material and mentally debating over whether or not she should wear some sheer tights beneath it - in the long run, she decided no. She had legs and every reason to show them off.

It didn't take her long to settle on her outfit - choosing a black, sleeveless tank top with a synched waist. It emphasized the gravity of her chest, as well as the slim curve of her waistline. She paired it naturally with a leather jacket and some /heeled/ boots [because he was a tall guy and she needed the height advantage to project some dominance]. She curled her hair a little looser, so it hung in longer waves than the usual tight curls she had going on.

Finishing over everything with some heavy eyeliner and a coat of lipstick, and she was definitely good for the day. She snagged her bag from the ground and through a leg over her windowsill, straddling it. No way would Jade leave the house through the front door - then her dad would see her and she'd be in some deep chizz with him for skipping school. The last thing she needed was for him to damper her day of /fun/.

Jade tossed her bag onto the large tree near her window, before soon following it. Sort of gracefully, she leapt down and casually glided down the tree, making a run for her car on the street. As soon as she was securely inside, key in the ignition and backing out of her parallel parking space - she knew she was solid.

[OoOoOoO]

James, on the other hand, was doing plenty in preparation for her arrival. He'd at least gotten a text from her this morning that she would be coming sometime before noon. He had time to shower and put on some clothes [which he made sure emphasized his lean, muscular body], as well as tidy up a bit when Carlos was looking the other way.

Ever since the day before, him and Carlos hadn't been speaking for obvious reasons. As far as James was concerned, Carlos was just sore that he'd already gotten the one up on him. Thankfully for him, his Latino former-best friend was unaware of when Jade was coming and was probably suspecting that their little date was at night.

Joke was on him! It wasn't! James could be pretty clever when he wanted to be - and that ensued that he was pretty good at tricking people! Well, on occasion - sometimes it was just a royal mess up. Hopefully it wouldn't be the case, because he intended on winning Jade's heart - no matter how hard she may make it! She WOULD be his!

After leaving the bathroom to style his hair and heading back into their conjoined bedroom to fetch his man spray, he nearly collided with Carlos. He looked up, an apology on his lips. "Oh, sorry du - " He stopped right there, narrowing his eyes as he stared down his shorter friend. "Never mind! Totally not sorry." He corrected himself with a sarcastic smile, before it dropped just so his lips could press firmly together in disapproval.

"You should be sorry!" He huffed, crossing his arms in an angry stance. "You're breaking EVERY best friend code there is with what you're doing tonight!"

James inwardly smirked - his suspicions were confirmed! Carlos /did/ think that he had a date with Jade /tonight/.

"Where are you even taking her?!" Carlos demanded to know.

The taller boy tapped a finger to his chin, a thoughtful expression overcoming his face. "Wow, I don't know, actually." He made eye contact with Carlos. "Maybe somewhere nice.. and expensive.. maybe I'll get her a nice gift or two, do you think she'd like that, Carlos?" He was just antagonizing him. That familiar twitch in Carlos' eye whenever he spoke about Jade non-platonically was surfacing.

"You will NOT!" He retorted, pointing a finger in him. "STAY AWAY FROM MY GIRL!"

"SHE'S NOT YOURS IF I GET THERE FIRST!" James shouted right back, getting in his face with his burly, broad frame.

"UGH!" They groaned in unison and turned in opposite directions, storming away from each other. Carlos was walking out and James walking in - it worked out like a charm in James' mind. He could resolve his issues with Carlos /after/ he secured his place with Jade and after the planned activities today, he doubted he could possibly lose her!

[OoOoOoO]

"Please, please, PLEASE help me!" Came the pleas from James to Katie, his fingers clasped together desperately. "I need you to keep watch and make sure Carlos doesn't come ANYWHERE near the Lobby!" If Carlos came prancing into the Lobby in his huff, he'd no doubt come over and try and ruin everything! Even worse - he'd make James look bad in front of Jade!

Katie eyed him skeptically, folding her arms. "And /why/ do you need me keep watch? I want details." James should have figured she couldn't have said yes like a normal adopted little sister [that's what he considered her as, after all].

James immediately began to fumble with words - he was a dreadful liar. "Uh.. It's top secret! Totally sensitive information that I - DEFINITELY cannot disclose at this very moment.." He flashed a shielding smile to try and get her to halt the questions. "But, there's twenty dollars in it for you if you don't say a word to any of the guys and twenty dollars if you do what I say. Deal?" He asked tentatively, crossing his fingers.

She eyed him up a bit more, eyes brightening a bit over the mention of some cash, but - in the end she agreed. "Fine. But I'll need some money to cover lunch."

"Cover lunch?!" He repeated in confusion. "You're watching the Lobby!"

"Exactly." She confirmed. "And I'm probably going to be skipping lunch because I obviously can't leave the place unattended. I'll order a pizza or something - just give me ten more and we'll call it even."

James swore that when Katie grew up, she'd be some kind of middleman for big deals or something, because she was really picking at his pockets and could easily do it to others. "Ugh, fifty; fine, deal." It was worth it enough - it was probably a good thing that he wasn't intending on taking Jade anywhere super-nice after all, or they'd need to eat bread and soup while there. He really needed to look into seeing Gustavo for a bit of a cash advance on his allowance every week - the normal sum just wasn't cutting it anymore.

Katie smiled smugly. "Great! So, how long do I have to watch?" And the plan commenced.

The pretty boy took a seat on one of the Lobby couches, carefully waiting out for his date to arrive. Supposedly platonic or not, James definitely intended on having this go down in the books as their first date. He also - because he was optimistic and confident in what he could bring to the table - was one hundred percent sure that he could manage to lure a kiss out of her. He was James Diamond - why /wouldn't/ she want to kiss him?

He tapped his foot to his own imaginary beat and kept looking to the front doors in anticipation, eyes lighting up when her gorgeous, dark form finally turned the corner and entered. But the happy expression he was currently adorning fell almost immediately as he saw whom she'd brought with her. Squinting, it looked like her redhead friend from the lunch table yesterday.

'No, no, no! This is ruining all of my plans.' James thought to himself in panic, standing up and walking around the chair to meet the two of them. He gave her a quick pat down with his eyes; resisting the urge to whistle at how good she looked. Clearly, she put in effort into what she'd worn today - and she was wearing leather again. Mm-hm, she never got any less hot.

"Hey Jade! And - Jade's friend." He greeted a bit apprehensively, looking to her. Cat waved her hand manically, though a bit reservedly too. "What's your name?"

"Cat! Like the animal!" She answered immediately, a bit - overzealously. "Except I don't wazz in a litter box.."

Jade rolled her eyes and turned her gaze to James, who she was sure was looking for an explanation of her guest, despite the bewildered look on his face from what Cat had just said. "I was texting Cat and she missed the bus, so I told her I was coming over here and she leapt at the chance. She really likes you guys - Big Time Lush or whatever."

"It's Big Time RUSH!" Cat corrected aggressively. "I've told you this before!"

"Don't correct me!" She snapped at the redhead, who hung her head and cowered away from her a little. "Is it cool that she's here? I mean, you said this was /friendly/, so I figured why not. You don't /mind/ do you?" Her words had an underlying tone that projected a very clear message: 'You better be cool with it - or your hair is GONE.'

He knew the friendly part of what he said was going to come back and nip him in the butt; curse his way of getting himself out of things. He also thinking about how hot she was when she was assertive.. But eventually answered, "Yeah, sure! Totally cool! I'll just have to move some things around - but I guess we can do it a three-way too.." He backpedaled, eyeing her oddly. "Wait, aren't you supposed to be at school?"

She shrugged. "I skipped." That was a HUGE win for him; the fact she'd gone out of her way to miss school [not that she liked it, he as sure] to spend the day with him already lengthened his one-up on the spot! Carlos was /so/ going down.

"I feel naughty." Cat giggled.

"Normally I'd disapprove - but this was for /definitely/ good reasoning." He winked at Jade specifically, earning another giggle from Cat. "Anyway, let's go to - WAIT!" He completely cut-off what he was going to say when he got an idea; a brilliant, evil, perfect idea. "You know, could you and Cat just wait here for ten-ish minutes while I go check something? I'm sure Cat's gonna like it!"

Before either of them could reply, James ran over, speeding through the Lobby and scouting around for the girl he'd just sent off to do his bidding. "KATIE!" He shouted, running around, turning the corner sharply into the little nook of vending machines, when his wrist was ripped down. He was now level with Katie crouched, and observing people through the bushes.

He gave a little yelp as he fell to his knees next to her, turning his head sharply to glare at her. "Couldn't you have done that in a way that WOULDN'T DISLOCATE MY SHOULDER?" He criticized, rubbing the respected shortly woundedly.

Katie rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm so sorry for covering your butt!" She leant forward and gestured out to the remaining Lobby. "What do you want?"

James clapped his hands together. "So, new game plan. I need you to /find/ Carlos." Even if it was the reverse of what he'd paid her to do. "Well, and Kendall and Logan, too."

This was getting more confusing by the minute for Katie. "Why?!"

"BECAUSE!" He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Please stop asking questions! Just go find them!" Pulling her up and pushing her out in a hurry.

[OoOoOoO]

James now sat where Katie had been sitting, watching an annoyed Jade and an oblivious Cat from afar. He could tell that she was starting to get impatient from waiting, especially by the way she kept looking around expectantly for him. He finally sprung up after ten minutes, through with waiting for Katie and instead deciding to lead Jade and Cat into an area /away/ from the Lobby. That way, when Katie came down after locating the three guys and bringing them into the Lobby like he'd planned, they'd be no where near and Carlos wouldn't have any time to recognize Jade and ruin his plans.

His second plan was simple: distract Cat and get her to leave Jade and him alone BY finding the other three guys and just 'happening' to have her run into the three. This way, he could have Jade all to himself for the majority of the time she spent here and Cat could keep Carlos occupied. He'd still request Katie keep a close eye on where the group was going so he could make sure to keep Jade and himself /away/ from that, but other than that, he didn't see any possible flaws in his plan at all. He thought it was pretty bulletproof.

He was so proud of how clever he truly was.

"Hey girls!" He greeted, plastering on a smile. "You know, we have a /really/ nice pool out here that you should totally check-out." Once again, not allowing the semblance for them to make a decision over the matter, instead wrapping an arm around either of their shoulders and leading them out a bit hurriedly.

Timing was on his side, because nearly the exact moment he did that, Katie walked out from the elevators with Kendall, Logan, /and/ Carlos following behind her.

"Why did you want us out here again?" Kendall asked his sister, raising an eyebrow at her. She turned around slowly, biting her lip to try and think of something.

"I just - uh - I thought the Lobby was clear enough for you guys to play some Lobby hockey! It's such a rarity these days, that I thought I'd tell you!" She hurried out, lying through her teeth. "Bitters is always out here and he's on lunch break." She held her breath as she turned her head and gestured to the front desk, which was by chance very empty. She released a breath in relief.

The three of them exchanged skeptical glances, before Logan spoke up with logic. "Yeah, well, we can only play Lobby hockey with /James/ and he's no where to be seen." He then gestured to the entire Lobby; it was so dead, a tumble weed could have blown through and that would have been the most activity it was seeing currently.

"No one wants him here anyway." Carlos grumbled from the sidelines, still visibly angry at their friend. Kendall, Logan, and Katie still had zero idea of what was going on between the two of them - both were too stubborn to allow anyone else any inside information. It was mind-numbing and frustrating - it put tension on everyone to have two out of the four fighting, especially as severely as they were.

Katie laughed. "That's okay. I'll go find him." She insisted, turning and then running out to the pool area, looking around for James rather speedily. She could only stall them for so long before they got suspicious - she was lucky they weren't always the smartest guys, otherwise what she'd said and how she was acting would never have passed right over their heads like it had.

She finally located him, sitting on a lounge chair and striking up a conversation with some girls? Was that his reason? All for a girl? Or - girls? She definitely intended on interrogating him about this later, because this was interesting. Gossip in the Palmwoods never got /any/ less interesting.

Calmly, she strolled over to James and stopped, smiling sweetly to the two girls. "Hi, I kind of need James /now/." And pulling him off the chair rather forcefully, tugging him all the way back near the Lobby, stopping right outside it.

"So I got the guys! Can I have my money now?" She asked impatiently, spreading her arms out in emphasis. "They're all standing there - clueless!"

"No!" James answered with a quick grin. "Now, see the redhead over there next to the hot brunette?" Turning her around and pointing to the correct person. "I need /you/ to follow the guys and her around, and make sure they stay as far away from me and the hot brunette as possible, okay? They HAVE to stay away from me and the hot brunette." He said very slowly and /very/ specifically.

"Yeah, yeah." She retorted dismissively, smirking mischievously. "So, who's the 'hot brunette'?"

"KATIE! Not the point! Please just keep an eye on them!" James said to completely roll over the question.

She sighed. "Fine. But you're explaining to me who she is and why I'm even doing this later!"

"Yeah, yeah." He mimicked her. "Now, stay here so I can get the redhead and I can put everything into place!" He turned to go run off and grab her, when Katie grabbed his arm and turned him back around.

"Uh-uh, give me my money first or no deal." She propositioned, crossing her arms and giving him a look to let him know that she was completely serious.

He groaned and dug through his pocket, grabbing his wallet. "Women." He muttered in grief, spreading the billfold to access two twenties and a ten, holding them out hesitantly, silently kissing his fifty dollars away. He better turn out to be the victor in this, otherwise he was wasting all of this money for no reason.

She happily accepted the money, nodding in his direction. "Pleasure doing business with you. Now, go get the redhead! I don't have all day!"

"I paid you for all day!" He argued.

"Then HURRY UP!" Giving his shoulders a shove so his engine would start and he would GET - MOVING. James shoved his wallet hastily back in his pocket and walked back to where the girls were sitting and chatting.

He approached the two of them, standing tall and looking down at them. Jade had the most exasperated expression on her face - she'd be happy soon enough, he was sure. Then they could be /alone/.

"So, Cat, I have the guys in the Lobby - the other three - and you can totally hang-out with them, ask some questions, anything! I know you like us, so I figured I'd set it up!" Cat violently squealed in excitement, maybe because her mind was flashing back to the cute, short Latino that had been sitting at the table yesterday. Carlos had been her favorite FOREVER out of all the Big Time Rush members - she would have killed to spend the day with him and now she didn't even have to.

"But," He added in warning. "They might act a little clueless immediately - so just introduce yourself and let them know you're a fan, and you'll be good for the day!" He broke it down for her. "Now scamper along!" And ever did she.

She raced away from Jade without a goodbye, nearly slamming into Katie, shouting, "MOVE!" And then disappearing into the Lobby like the roadrunner.

Jade watched, before shifting her gaze to James curiously. "Well, that was nice. What'd you do that for?"

James took the unoccupied seat next to her, now that Cat was quite occupied herself. He flashed an easy grin, his plan completely into place very nicely. "No reason. Just helping out a friend." And now he had her completely at his mercy.

Nothing could stop him getting this girl!

[OoOoOoO]

AN: And there's the end of the chapter. I'm surprised with the length, I was initially only shooting for 3, but it's a little over four solid, so WOO! Hope the wait was worth it. Once again, thank AllOfMeHatesYou, he's literally the only reason I update. He hassles me every now and then like a sweet human. Love you, xx

Reviews are my life; don't kill me!

\- Nat


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